Dodge adds a little spice to the Avenger lineup with the release of the 2012 Dodge Avenger R/T this fall. The Avenger R/T will debut this week at the New York auto show.

The addition of the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 should breathe some life into the Avenger brand. The 283-hp engine routes power to the front wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission. Chrysler says the powertrain will return 19 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway.

Now, Dodge didn't just drop its favorite V6 into the Avenger, slap on a badge and call it a night. Engineers increased roll stiffness by 18 percent and spring rates by 17 percent in the front and 12 percent in the rear. Damping also was increased, and a bigger antiroll bar was added.

The outside of the Avenger R/T has a body-colored grille, black headlight backgrounds and an R/T decal on the front quarter-panel. Eighteen-inch painted aluminum wheels are standard.

The interior has leather-trimmed seats with red stitching, a unique gauge cluster with a center-mounted tachometer and R/T graphics. SRT-inspired brake and accelerator pedals complete the package. A premium stereo with a 30-gigabyte hard drive and a touch-screen display is standard.

Dodge hasn't released prices for the Avenger R/T, but we expect it to cost more than the current top trim-line price of $23,745.